


Collar and Cage

by NanakiBH



Category: Tales of the Abyss
Genre: Friendship, Humiliation, M/M, Manipulation, Prison Sex, Semi-Public Sex, Voyeurism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-01
Updated: 2016-04-01
Packaged: 2018-05-30 15:29:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6430117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NanakiBH/pseuds/NanakiBH
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They aren't simple. They won't be easy to fix. She knows that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Collar and Cage

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [this request](http://kinkmemes.dreamwidth.org/1206.html?thread=67254#cmt67254) at the Tales kink meme on Dreamwidth.
> 
> "Post-game. Anise goes to visit Dist sometimes. One day she arrives only to find Jade's already there, and... well, it would be rude to interrupt, right~? Voyeurism, and anything you want re: J/D themselves."
> 
> I wrote this and finished it before I investigated TOA's side material, so I hadn't heard the anime drama CD where Jade and Peony arrive to release Dist from jail. I had no idea that existed. So, if you've heard that track, disregard it and imagine this as an alternative to that scene. I expected things to be worse for poor Dist. lol

It must have been lonely. Being in that cell all day, staring at the same walls, receiving, at most, a few visits from the jailer for impersonal reasons...

Anise felt bad for him. For the sake of fairness, she hadn't wanted to say what she really thought of Dist in front of the others. He did a lot of bad things, but he wasn't a bad person. It felt unfair that they would put him in jail without considering his side of things.

Was it alright to forgive him just because she sympathized with him, though? Understanding the thoughts that had motivated him to take such drastic actions, she just felt like she couldn't blame him. If she had been in his position, if it had been for the sake of her parents or one of her friends, it was hard to say whether she would've done anything differently. After he was placed behind bars, the others washed their hands, called it a job well done, and forgot all about him, but Anise couldn't forget the quiet, timid man who had lovingly recounted stories from his and the Colonel's childhood for her as he worked on Tokunaga.

He was a gentle person.

When he stopped them with his robots, that wasn't the person she knew.

But it was that same kind of innocent desire for something unobtainable that had taken Arietta from her, too. Thinking of it that way, it felt terrible that she had to think of Dist as 'lucky'. Had things gone a little differently, he might've been able to escape them and live in freedom somewhere else. She knew that wouldn't have satisfied him, though. She knew how badly he wanted to have the Colonel back. The choice to engage them was a choice he would've made infinitely, so, had it gone a little differently, it could've been worse. Dist could've ended up like Arietta.

Was it really better to live if living meant being trapped forever, though?

That kind of thought turned her stomach – she was ashamed that she even had such a thought. What was the alternative? Having followed those decisions, the only outcomes that awaited him were imprisonment or...

She didn't want to think of it that way. As awful as it was, Dist was in a better position now than he could've been, and that was the only way she should think of it, she told herself.

At the least, she hadn't heard any talk of execution. The Malkuth empire could be truly unforgiving if it wanted to be, especially with the reasons Dist had given them, but his personal connection to both the emperor and Jade seemed to be the spanner that kept them from moving forward with capital punishment. Anise didn't know whether Jade could be so sentimental, but it appeared that the thought of killing Dist made Peony hesitate.

Occasionally – whenever she was available – she went out to visit him. She feared that one day, without hearing a word prior, she would enter the compound and find his cell empty.

 

That fear followed her again when she made her return to Grand Chokmah. It was difficult to contact the Colonel when he was busy, so unless she went to see Dist for herself, she had no way of finding out how he was doing. She had a feeling it would be a bad idea to outright ask Jade, anyway. Even if she suspected that he had some sort of unspoken, complicated affection for Dist somewhere inside of him, he always spoke about him cruelly. If she asked about Dist, the Colonel probably wouldn't answer her honestly or would only mention the bare minimum. She trusted him, but when it came to Dist, she worried about whether there were things that Jade wasn't telling her.

She was greeted normally by the guard stationed outside of the base, given a nod and a friendly smile. After her first few visits, they started expecting her.

As she made her way from the entrance down the short hallway inside, she realized that she should've brought a gift; a book or something to keep him occupied. Every time she visited, Dist seemed a little more worse for wear. He said that Jade would visit him sometimes too, and that seemed to make him happy, but his eyes were looking more distant. There was nothing for him to do, but he looked tired.

It made her wonder what sort of things he and Jade would talk about when Jade visited.

It was probably just wishful thinking to hope that Jade would ever come around and be honest. It was hard to imagine when Jade was infrequently honest with himself. She hoped that he hadn't gone and said anything that would finally crush Dist's hope of them being together.

Even if they couldn't... Dist was still always talking about him. She felt like that hope was probably the only thing holding him together.

Well. She had to smile for him. Even a pathetic guy like him needed to have someone who was willing to stand up for him and show a smile for his sake.

Feeling sure of that, and consequently feeling in a brighter mood with a smile on her face, she entered the base's holding area.

Because they still hadn't figured out what to do with him, Dist was still in the same holding cell where they'd put him after his capture. If they ever moved him to the prison, that would spell trouble, she felt.

Inside, she lifted a hand, ready to wave at the jailer, but slowly lowered it when she realized that there was no one sitting at the entrance where she normally expected someone to be. It was after lunch time, which meant that they would have already finished their check on him, so it was surprising not to see anyone attending the front. All of the keys for the cells were right there...

Even though Dist was the only person being held there, she had his cell number memorized. If she wanted, all she had to do was lean over the desk and grab his key off the wall and-

It was missing.

She glanced around, looking at the other numbered pegs where more keys hung, but there was no mistake. There was an empty space where his key should have been, and none of the others had been moved around, labeled clearly with tags that hung from their ends. There wasn't anything particularly suspicious about that, except she could hear voices, and one of them sounded awfully familiar.

Sucking in a breath, she crept to the corner and peeked around it. From where she was standing, Dist's cell was in clear view to her, but she prayed that she would remain out of view to him and his visitor.

“Jade, I thought...” Dist paused, as if he were waiting for something. Anise slipped back around the corner, holding a hand over her mouth. “I thought I heard the door.”

She could hear them well enough to hear everything they were saying, their voices echoing slightly in the quiet room. Having expected the jailer to be there, she hadn't had a reason to think she needed to be quiet, but now Anise wished that she had been a little more careful when she opened and closed the door. There was nothing stopping her from walking out there and making her presence known, but, if she did that, she had the feeling that Jade would leave.

She wanted to hear what they talked about while she wasn't around.

“Isn't that just your imagination?” Jade gave that sinister laugh of his – the one that sent a shiver up her spine every time. “As long as you stay quiet, no one will notice. Besides, what if there _is_ someone else here? What do you think they'll do? No one around here is going to question any of my actions, so, say, even if someone were to find me strangling you, they wouldn't say a word.”

This was bad.

“S-strangling...?”

Anise was echoing Dist's sentiments in her head, barely able to believe that the Colonel would even suggest something like that out loud. A part of her had always known that he might be thinking something like that, but to hear it... It was shocking.

If he actually did anything that violent to him, she would have no choice but to expose herself to save Dist. No matter who Jade was, no matter how much influence he had within the military, she wasn't one of his subordinates. As long as she was around, she wouldn't let him get away clean.

Steeling herself, she leaned a little closer to the corner and looked around it, curious what would follow.

“What are you waiting for?” Jade asked. He put two fingers beneath Dist's chin and lifted it to make him look at him. “I'm very busy, you know. I put aside this time just for you, so unless you just want to stand around looking at me, I suggest that you start putting it to use.”

“R-right!” Dist yelped nervously.

Anise didn't really understand what Jade was talking about. She knew that he came to visit Dist occasionally, but he'd made it sound like he was doing him a favor. Jade could be sarcastic and even a little mean to the people he liked, but it was a surprise to hear him come right out and tell Dist that he was a waste of his time. He wasn't sugarcoating it at all.

Though her eyes refused to believe it it, Dist got on his knees. Without being fully certain of what was going on, her mind was already screaming for him to stop, watching with held breath as he undid Jade's belt and unbuttoned the bottom buttons on Jade's uniform jacket. With Jade's back facing her, there wasn't anything for her to see, but there was no question of what was going on. As soon as she saw Dist begin to move his head, she went back around the corner and dropped down, holding both hands over her mouth.

What the heck was Jade forcing him to do?

They weren't close enough to make her believe that Dist was doing that of his own free will, but...

Well, actually, it was a lot easier to believe than she wanted it to be. Despite appearances, Dist was a strong and willful individual, but he was willing to do just about anything as long as it was for Jade. It was sickening to think that the Colonel would use him that way, knowing that he could toy with him and have him do whatever he wanted with minimum resistance.

Unfortunately, in her position, there was still nothing that she could do. There was no way to prove that he was using him, and she doubted that any of his subordinates would be on Dist's side, even if they knew what was going on. What Jade was doing wouldn't even seem like an offense to the people whose lives had been affected by Dist's actions. He could kill him and there would be those who wouldn't even bat an eye, even if she had evidence. To many people outside, his execution was probably long overdue anyway.

That thought returned to her mind; the one about whether it was truly better to live life in a cage if the alternative was death. All the times he smiled, all the times he told her that he was hanging in there... Were they lies? Anise couldn't understand how he could keep going if he realized that Jade was using him.

“That's it,” she heard Jade say, his voice low and assertive. It sent another shiver through her, and she bit her lip despite herself. “Make sure you get it nice and wet. It's going to have to be.”

How could the Colonel stand to say things like that with a straight face? It was horrible, and... Lines like those sounded way too natural when they came from that sadistic man's mouth. It made her want to cover her ears, but she knew that she couldn't leave. Even if she couldn't do anything on the outside, she could still stay for long enough to make sure that Dist was alright. As his only friend, she had to, and it wasn't out of some phony sense of obligation like the kind that Jade was feeding to him.

It was difficult to sit there and listen. The area was quiet and its walls were close, so she could hear every little sound produced by their movement as it echoed from one cell to the next. She could hear the quiet sounds of Dist's moaning, but it was difficult to tell whether they were moans of discomfort without looking. Before, Jade had placed a hand on the back of his head, but it probably wasn't meant to be as affectionate as it looked. A few times, it sounded like he was choking, and Anise just knew that she was never going to be able to look at the Colonel the same way ever again.

“That's enough,” Jade said. Anise knew better than to feel relieved. Hearing movement, she didn't dare look around the corner just yet in case they were facing her direction, so she stayed still until she felt like enough time had gone by to let them do whatever they were doing.

It sounded like... Rustling? Clothing was probably being removed. It made her face feel hot, just thinking about it. It sounded like they were muttering things to each other, but she could barely understand any of it over the sound of her own heart beating in her ears.

Although the situation was disgusting, Anise couldn't deny that a part of her was thrilled by the it. She just wished that it could've occurred differently. She knew how badly Dist wanted to be with him, so seeing them together made her heart race excitedly as if it were heedless of the circumstances. Besides that, she had always... kind of... liked the Colonel a little bit. He was more than twice her age, so she totally knew it would never happen and never gave it any realistic thought as a result, but it still made her feel hot under the collar to know that he was a few yards away, partially undressed.

She wanted to call Dist 'lucky' again, but was it _really_ lucky to be stuck with an infatuation for Jade Curtiss? Probably not. He was handsome and powerful, but it was hard to get past his rotten personality.

When Anise looked back around the corner, Dist's pants were already gone. Her first instinct was to look away, but there wasn't much for her to see again. Jade was still wearing his pants, though loosened, and he and Dist were facing the other way. (Perhaps Jade didn't want him to notice if anyone did enter the area.) Dist was on his knees, but he was on all fours this time, his elbows supporting him on the hard ground. One of Jade's gloved hands was curled around his hip, and Anise presumed that the other one was being used to... Well... _Do things._

Dang, it was too bad she hadn’t thought to bring him a book, but now she felt like she should've brought them some lube or something if this is what they got up to while she wasn't around. Sure, she was the youngest among her group of friends now, but that didn't mean that she didn't know a thing or two about... _that_. Jade was going to totally mess him up.

The moment he was in, Dist let out a surprisingly loud sound, somewhere between a shout and a groan.

“What happened to being quiet, hm?” Jade taunted. He pressed a hand down on Dist's shoulders, applying enough weight to test how much he could endure before collapsing. “Oh, go on. Don't hold back on my account. Bark and howl all you want.”

Dist appeared to be at odds, straining to hold back his voice, fighting to keep himself upright. As Jade continued to taunt him verbally, the limited strength in Dist's weak arms gave out and he fell forward, his shoulders sinking to the floor.

Jade's thrusts were infrequent. It seemed like he had more of an interest in antagonizing him than fucking him. Anise was silently grateful for that, but she imagined that it couldn't have been that comfortable for him anyway without any preparation. Dist must've been suffering, too. “Well, how do you like it? You love it, don't you? Go on and use that voice of yours the way it's meant to be used. If you like it, answer me with a 'woof'.”

Anise's ears burned as she heard Dist respond obediently and pitifully with a 'woof' just like Jade had commanded.

_Stand up for yourself, would you?!_ she wanted to yell at him.

“Oh my, very good! You see? Even a flea-bitten stray like you can be cute with a little training.” Jade, on the other hand, sounded like he was _really_ enjoying himself. “Go on. Keep telling me how much you love it.”

By that, of course, Jade was encouraging him to continue humiliating himself. And, like the hopelessly desperate and predictable guy he was, Dist kept his cheek pressed against the cell floor and kept barking. The worst part was that it sounded like he was actually enjoying himself no matter how degrading it seemed. He was practically writhing on the floor, his hips lifting like a dog wagging its tail as he begged.

“Isn't your master good to you? Isn't he kind?” Jade purred. He slid a hand along Dist's spine, pushing his shirt up his back so he could touch his skin.

Dist's begging barks were interspersed with the sound of Jade's name, whimpered in an adoring voice. High on his authority, Jade tangled his hand in Dist's shoulder-length hair and tightened his fist in it, pressing his face harder into the floor.

“You aren't really afraid of being heard,” he accused, sounding more amused than bothered by how loud Dist had become. “The thought of that gets you off too. You'd be _thrilled_ if someone walked in here and saw how you really are. I bet that the men around here would pay to watch you get fucked – but you know what?” Anise watched, heart in her throat, as Jade leaned over him getting closer to his ear. Instinctively, she leaned a little farther as well, straining her ears to listen. “It would be my pleasure,” he said. Anise swallowed hard. “And I'd pass you around to whoever wanted to have a go with you, too. You'd like that, wouldn't you? You'd be happy to let me watch.”

Dist slammed his hands against the ground, shifting under him desperately. “Jade...! Y-yes! Please...!”

For a second there, he forgot about barking. As soon as he realized his mistake, he went right back to it before Jade could reprimand him.

Jade's responding laugh made Anise feel like she was on fire.

“Perhaps I will. That's a good idea,” Jade said, his voice sounding somewhat frayed. Straightening up, he resumed fucking him with a new kind of passion, snapping his hips hard, making Dist cry; another image Anise was never going to be able to scrub from her mind. “I could mention it offhandedly among some of the high-ranking officers and see how they'd feel about it. You know– keep it between the ones who know how to keep their mouths shut.”

For all of his whining and howling, Dist genuinely sounded like he was still enjoying it and was even interested in Jade's suggestion. Anise wondered if Jade was serious about it. She didn't doubt that there were men who would unquestioningly follow his orders, who would take any secret of his to the grave with them, but she had no idea of whether Jade was the type who would follow through with an idea like that. It was so obscene that it sounded absurd, and yet... Considering the scene that was occurring right in front of her, she wasn't sure what to think.

“Jade... Jade, I'm going to-” Even Anise knew what he was trying to say. He kept his forehead against the floor and gave a long whine as he fought to say it. “M-may I?”

That wasn't quite what she had been expecting. Again, she wished that he wouldn't act so submissive. Asking Jade for permission like that... It made her shake her head. The situation was out of his control, but still. She was starting to feel disappointed in him.

Jade hummed, pleased that he would ask. “Alright. Go on.”

Anise put herself back behind the safety of the corner. Her dangerous curiosity made her want to keep watching as Dist came, but it didn't feel right to watch while he didn't know someone was watching – even if he was apparently into that.

After that, she could still hear Jade. It sounded like he wasn't going to let Dist rest until he was done with him.

Finally, once it sounded like it was over, she chanced another glance in their direction. Jade had already fixed himself, and, to her surprise, was helping Dist get redressed. Dist was shaking a little. After all of that, Anise couldn't blame him. Neither of them said a word, just gathering themselves in silence. When Jade raised a hand, she was prepared to yell, afraid that he was going to hit him, but, instead, he rested his hand on top of Dist's head.

“Good boy,” he said, petting his hair. Dist leaned into his touch and Jade stroked his cheek and neck, petting him.

He was treating him like a pet.

As he stood to leave and began walking out of the cell, Dist reached out and grabbed the tail of his uniform.

“Jade...”

He sounded so sad, Anise couldn't stand it.

Tossing his hair over his shoulder, Jade fixed him with his crimson stare. “You have dignity, don't you?” he asked. Immediately, Dist released him and placed his hands over his knees. “Be patient.”

Dist nodded.

After he closed the cell, Jade produced the missing key from his pocket and used it to lock it. Before going anywhere, he stood there for another few moments, staring at the pitiful man on the other side. Reaching a hand through the bars, he pet him one more time, and it reminded Anise strangely of an owner who was sad to leave their pet at home when they needed to leave.

Realizing that that was probably her last chance to get away without being noticed, Anise backed away as quietly as possible and carefully opened the door, making sure that she was just as careful as she closed it behind her. She stayed out in the hall, though. If she wanted, she could bump into Jade and act like her being there at the same time was just a coincidence, but she had other plans.

She wanted to confront him.

As she waited for him to exit, she crossed her arms. She wanted him to know that she meant business... even though she was sure that she was blushing furiously.

The door opened and Jade stepped out.

“Oh?” He acted surprised to see her, but she wondered if he was faking it. “If it isn't Anise. Have you come to visit Dist?”

Narrowing her eyes, she took one step forward, then took one hard swing, throwing her fist into Jade's stomach. He must not have been expecting that, at least. The wind knocked out of him, he staggered, clutching his stomach, and looked up at her with what she believed was _real_ surprise that time.

“M-my... Anise, what was that-”

“That was for Dist,” she said, cracking her knuckles.

After having the sense punched into him, Jade was willing to get serious with her in return. “I see. So you were the one at the door.” He glanced once left, once right without moving his head, checking to make sure they were alone. “May I ask how much you heard? In advance, I apologize if you witnessed anything... upsetting.”

What an understatement.

Anise put her arms back over her chest and turned up her chin at him. “I walked in right before you threatened to strangle him.”

“ _Strangle him...?_ ” Jade repeated, holding his chin between his fingers in thought. When he recalled what she was talking about he let out a sigh and put his hand over his still-aching stomach. “Dear Anise, I believe you misunderstood. I have no intention of killing him – not unless he gave me a good reason, of course.”

“You can't get out of this one, Colonel. I heard how you-”

...Wait, no.

Taking everything else she witnessed into account, she understood what it was he was saying. If Jade put his hands around Dist's neck, it might have been at Dist's own request. Still, there were things about what she saw that didn't seem right. If Jade had gone there just to play with him, then he didn't need to treat Dist so cruelly. The look she'd seen on Dist's face when Jade left made it clear to her; Dist wasn't happy with what Jade was doing – not totally.

She shook her head, putting her hands down at her sides, fists clenched. “Then what _are_ you doing? It sure looked to me like you were using him. You're hurting him, you know. Can't you tell?”

Jade's face was frighteningly serious. “This is an adult thing.”

“You aren't going to get me to shut up!” She was furious that he would say that, implying that she couldn't understand. “If you think it's that hard to get, then start explaining.”

Lifting his glasses briefly, Jade tiredly rubbed his eyes and sighed. “I was hoping I wouldn't have to tell anyone, but it appears that things can't go as I planned. And you, of all people...” He fixed his glasses and looked down at her, his brow twisted. “Listen, Anise. You can't speak a word of this to Dist, do you hear?”

She didn't know what he was getting at, but she nodded. “Sure, but that's going to depend on what you have to say. I'm not sure about you, but I like to count myself among his friends.”

Reluctantly, he continued. “...In a few days, Dist may be released.”

Anise hadn't heard anything about that. “A few days? Wh- Isn't that great news? ...That kind of changes everything.” Although, she wasn't sure whether that made the things she saw seem better or worse. Had Jade been using him because he knew that he wasn't going to be able to control him like that anymore? Or was there some other sort of reason?

“I said that he _may_ be released. There's no guarantee,” Jade stressed. “They're going to have someone evaluate him first. Having such a strong personality, I'm worried that it might be difficult for him to act convincingly, but I want to be sure that he won't say anything that would make him immediately fail. He can't say anything that implies a willingness to repeat his crimes, and he needs to be obedient to the empire. That's because, even if he's released, he'll probably still be confined to the base for a while – possibly a long while.”

As awful as it was, Anise was starting to get it. “So... You want to make him totally dependant on you... because you think then he'll have no reason to leave.” She glared. “And what's the problem with telling him?”

“That's the problem. He isn't supposed to know. Knowing that he could be released would make him feel too comfortable. I know how he is... His responses would sound insincere. You know for yourself that he would halfway-destroy the world again just to get at me. They would know that he's lying, and lying is another way to immediately fail their evaluation.”

“But what you're doing is... Aren't you just brainwashing him?”

“It's for his own good.”

She knew that the Colonel could be sadistic. He could be cruel. If there were things that needed to be done, he would do them in the most efficient way, even if it was unpleasant. But, just looking at him, she could tell that it wasn't as easy for him as he was trying to make it sound. He was actually fighting for Dist. A normal person might have stopped and had second thoughts before they twisted another person's feelings, but Jade wasn't normal, and he was willing to follow the kinds of options that others would deem unreasonable.

“You're right,” Anise muttered. “I don't get it. Maybe it is adult stuff. I don't know how you could do that if you've seen the way he's been hurting without you.”

“That's why.”

“You couldn't just stay by his side?”

“Being kinder to him would only make him more eager to escape.”

“Colonel...” She really wanted to hit him again. “You're horrible!”

It was easy to keep trading petty shots with him. Jade was open, his argument full of holes, but it was looking like that last shot was the one to finally take him down, judging by his reaction. His gaze faltered and he looked away.

“Very good, I must admit my defeat. You've got me. You right,” he admitted. Anise suddenly had the feeling that he still had one more round left in him. “I am horrible. I can be quite selfish.”

Anise couldn't believe her ears. “I knew it! You were doing it for yourself!”

Jade raise his hands defensively, rightfully fearful of receiving another punch. “You think that he won't thank me later?”

“ _Thank_ you?!”

She had to calm down and think. Jade knew how to get her riled up, and she didn't want to start yelling.

Although she greatly disagreed with his methods, she couldn't deny that there was some truth in the things he'd said about the kind of eagerness Dist would have to escape or repeat his actions should the opportunity seem possible. Telling him about the plan to release him was totally out of the question, so that made things even more difficult.

Dist might've been placated if Jade visited him more often and showed him greater kindness, but... Well, for starters, it would've made Dist feel suspicious. He wasn't used to receiving _kindness_ from Jade, and, after what she just saw, she realized that 'kindness' might've had a different meaning to them altogether.

Jade? Kind?

What had she been thinking?

“Alright, fine,” Anise huffed, letting him win this time. “I guess you're right. There must be something here that's going over my head. I don't totally understand you guys, but at least now I know that you aren't trying to kill him or hurt him or anything like that. Still, I can tell that there's something wrong about the way you guys treat each other. You have some screws loose. You can do all the freaky stuff you want together, but after Dist gets released, you two better see a doctor. And I'm not talking about each other, so don't be funny with me.” She saw him opening his mouth. He immediately closed it. “I mean a real medical doctor. A psychiatrist or something.”

“My, what a lecture.” He was trying to play it off like always, but after receiving a tongue-lashing like that, he didn't have his usual wit. “I'll give it some thought. I loathe to admit it, but there are some things outside of my expertise. It might be good to find someone who can give him the sort of treatment I'm incapable of.”

Putting her hands on her hips, she stepped forward, getting up in his business again. “Stop trying to exclude yourself! I mean you too, you know. N-nobody wants to say it because they're all kind of terrified of you, but I'm your friend, so I'll just come out and say it. There's something wrong with you, Colonel. Dist has told me all kinds of things about you, like about your past and how you were as kids... You're both super smart, but that doesn't mean that your brains can't get scrambled.”

For a while, he stayed quiet and Anise wondered what was going through his head. Whenever he got quiet like that, it was a sign that he was thinking about something seriously.

“Alright,” he said.

“...That's it?” Anise asked, refusing to believe that it could be that easy to make him change.

“Yes.”

The look on his face didn't give her any reason to not believe him.

Feeling somewhat awkward now, Anise rubbed the back of her neck. “Uh... Well. Okay then. Good.” She caught his eyes, searching them to see if she could tell what he was feeling. “I like you both a lot. I'm going to be looking forward to Dist's release, and it'd be a real shame if you two didn't straighten yourselves out after coming this far. I'm just looking out for you two idiots.”

There were people she failed to protect in the past. She wasn't going to let that happen again.

“Thank you, Anise,” Jade said, his eyes surprisingly soft. “Now, after all of that, I hope you don't mind if I ask a favor of you.”

She hadn't really done much aside from give him some advice, so she didn't mind if there was something else he needed. She liked it when he relied on her. “Alright. Shoot,” she said, curious.

“When you go in to see him, could you do something to comfort him for me? I have the feeling that Saphir is crying right now.”

At that moment, Anise felt as if the air had been sucked out of her lungs. He sounded...

Dist really wasn't the only one who felt bad.

“Alright, Colonel,” she promised. “Leave it to me.”


End file.
